Plenty of chances, not enough buckets

Gothenburg’s girls took the shots they were given rather than forcing up junk, said first-year coach Chris Lecher.

The ball just wouldn’t fall through the hoop.

“We did a pretty good job of taking care of the ball,” the coach said. “We didn’t turn it over a ton and we handled the press most of the time. We just struggled to make baskets.”

At the same time, Lecher said there is an obvious reason the Hershey girls are rated No. 2 in Class C-2 by the Omaha World-Herald.

“Those girls are basketball players,” he said. “They’re not just good athletes, they’re true basketball players.”

That court savvy play provided the Panthers a rhythm the Swedes could not disrupt.

Hershey jumped out to a 15-6 lead at the end of the first quarter and pushed ahead 27-10 at halftime.

Some of the Gothenburg offensive plays were new additions earlier in the week and Lecher said while the girls knew what they were doing, they didn’t have any kind of flow.

“We had open girls but we didn’t see them to get them the ball,” he said. “As they become more confident with the offense and develop more consistency I think we’ll see better results.”

Even in the second half the Swedes were able to manage a few more points, scoring 21 to Hershey’s 27.

Gothenburg junior Regan Geiken led the way for the Swedes with 10 points while Hanna Wolf pitched in eight points and Emily Franzen pulled down seven rebounds.

Hershey had two girls in double figures. Maegan Hiatt was high point with 18 points followed by Daynlee Miller with 15.

The Swedes move to 0-2 on the season as they host Southern Valley (1-1) on Thursday.

“We’re going to see more press from Southern Valley, I’m sure,” Lecher said. “The key will be being ourselves and doing what we do. Our press break is working and our offense is opening up shots. Now we just have to relax and get some shots to fall.”

Tipoff Thursday is set for 5:30 p.m.

The Swedes travel to Perkins County on Saturday.

The Lady Plainsmen opened the season 1-1, losing to Hershey on Saturday by 13 points.

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